JERSEY CITY — A brutal accident in Jersey City left two dead and a third person severely burned after a man suspected of being intoxicated rammed his truck into the rear of a taxi cab, causing an explosion that littered the street with car parts, authorities said.

Herman Chandler, 34, of Jersey City, now faces two counts of death-by-auto and one count of driving while intoxicated for his role in the chain reaction crash that killed 41-year-old pedestrian Jairo Camelo and a passenger inside of a taxi near Grove and Grand Streets Wednesday night, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio and Jersey City police.

“This is really tragic," DeFazio said.

The wreck happened around 9:30 p.m., when Chandler smashed into the rear of the taxi in the 200 block of Grand Street, DeFazio said. The vehicle immediately erupted into flames, and the force of the impact shoved the taxi onto the sidewalk where it struck Camelo, according to DeFazio and a Jersey City police report.

Camelo suffered serious injuries to his body and head and was pronounced dead at Jersey City Medical Center around 11:30 p.m., according to the police report.

NJ Dept. of CorrectionsHerman Chandler

The fire trapped both the driver and passenger of the cab inside the vehicle, and while Jersey City police and firefighters managed to pull them free after only a few minutes, both men suffered severe burns, according to DeFazio and the police report.

The passenger, identified as 44-year-old Jersey City resident James Fuller, died earlier this morning after sustaining "severe burns all over his body," according to DeFazio and the report.

While he was also seriously injured, DeFazio said the driver is expected to survive.

Chandler left the scene of the accident and wound up talking to a Jersey City police officer several blocks away, according to the report. The 34-year-old was arrested immediately after his description was broadcast across the department's radio channels.

Officers said Chandler had glassy eyes and slurred speech when he was arrested, and DeFazio said while Chandler was apparently "under the influence of illegal substances," it was not clear what type of narcotics he was using.

Chandler, who will make his first appearance in Superior Court in Jersey City this afternoon, served at least two years in prison after he was convicted of assaulting a police officer in 2004, according to state Department of Corrections records.

DeFazio said the charges against Chandler could be upgraded when he goes before a grand jury later this year.